Sunshine and Mountains
by paristraveler22
Summary: Cancer is an interesting thing to live with. You can't stop it. You can't cure it. You survive with it. You live with it. An imprint can't stop it. But the legends say that an imprint is supposed to stop aging as long as the wolf is still phasing. Yet here I am. I am dying. I am dying of cancer.
1. Author's Note

This story is dedicated to a very dear and incredible friend of mine. She has recently passed away, and I am writing this to honor her. This is her life story, well, almost all of it. 99% of this story will be the truth, and the other 1% will be from my imagination. I hope you guys like it, for it is real. I just want to say, be careful with what you say. Thank you. ~paristraveler22 


	2. Chapter 1

"I am afraid that I have some bad news," the doctor says. I can feel my hands start to shake, and my throat tighten. Sweat starts to appear on my forehead as I try to prepare myself for what is to come. "What are the test results?" I ask, more like choking it out. "You tested positive for the cancer gene," the doctor says, his wise, old eyes looking sympathetically at me. "So, how long does she have until she gets the cancer?" My brother asks, looking indifferent. Though I can see past the mask, he's scared to death. Renée died four months after she was diagnosed; I never got the chance to meet her. "That's the thing. Miss Swan, you have stage three breast cancer." And there it is. "What are you going to tell everyone?" Seth asks me. I don't respond. I can't respond. "Bella?" "What am I supposed to tell them? That I have cancer? That I'm going to survive? We all know how that turned out with Renée, she died. It's a fact, I'm going to die," I say, already coming to terms with it. "Isabella, don't you dare say that. Don't you ever say that. You are going to fight this cancer, and beat it. You are not going to give up. I won't let you," Seth says sternly. "It's inevitable, I'm going to die." "Seth slams down on the brakes, making the engine whine loudly. The cars behind us hock and some swerve in order not to hit us. I fly into my seatbelt and then slam back in my seat. "What the hell, Seth?" I yell. "Stop saying you are going to die!" "Alright, alright! I'm not going to die," I mumble. Seth seems to calm down when I say that, and he starts to drive again. We had to go all the way to Seattle to see the doctor. I didn't want to go in La Push, or Forks, or even Port Angeles. Those places were all to close, and my father has connections in all three of those hospitals. If he found out I went to get these tests, he would freak out. He would have been pissed that I didn't let him come with me. But I couldn't let him come. Sue, who I call my mom, told me that after Renée was diagnosed, my dad was a wreck. He was even worse when she died, leaving him with a newborn. So, I decided to take my half-brother, Seth, with me to the doctor. I would have also taken my stepsister, Leah, but she's on a trip in Europe right now. Her fiancée, Sam Uley, broke off their engagement a week before the wedding and started to date our cousin, Emily. It nearly destroyed Leah. So, I told her to go take a trip and travel the world. She's been gone for two weeks, and she sends us post cards once in a while. "So, what are you going to tell everyone?" Seth asks me again. "I don't know," I say, looking down at my hands. "Dad is going to freak out, so I want Sue to be there when we tell everyone. I want Leah here, but I know she's been having a rough time, so I probably won't ask her to come home. Maybe at the bonfire this weekend I'll tell everyone," I say, rolling down the window. The wind whips my hair across my face, and I brush it back; the cool air feels good on my heated face. "I don't know if you should tell them at the bonfire. Remember, Jake's cousins are moving down here, so we are holding a bonfire for them as a welcoming party. We probably don't want that weighing down on everyone's shoulders," Seth mentions. "Oh," I say. He takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. "It's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay, Bella," he says, though it sounds more like it's for his own benefit than my own. "Do you want to stop and get something to eat?" Seth asks, glancing at me before returning his eyes to the road. "No, I don't have much of an appetite right now," I say, though it's a fact that I am actually starving. But I don't want to stop, I just want to go home. "Okay, we'll be in Forks in about ten minutes, and La Push in about twenty. I think dad mentioned that everyone was going to be at the beach today since it is supposed to be really sunny," Seth says, smiling. That kid loves the sun as much as I do. "I don't think so. Look at those rain clouds. They look like they are about to burst any minute," I say, pointing to the angry, black looking clouds in the distance. "Oh man! I wanted to go cliff diving today too!" "Well, now we can watch Brady and Collin fight over the popcorn when we are all stuck at Sam and Emily's house watching movies," I say, making a face. I still haven't forgiven my cousin or Sam after what happened to Leah. I understand what happened, but I don't like how Sam handled it. Sometimes imprinting can good, and other times it's just plain cruel. "Well, you never know. It could always end up raining tomorrow." "I doubt that," I say as a few raindrops start to appear on the windshield. Seth whines again and starts to pout. "Do you want to stop at home or go straight to Sam and Emily's?" "Let's just go straight there. I don't have to go home," I say, rolling the window back up. "Alright, here we are," Seth finally says, putting the car in park and getting out. He comes to my side of the car and opens my door, helping me out. "Hey, I'm not an invalid," I say, crossing my eyes and staring up at him. "Not yet," he mumbles, going to the trunk and getting our bags out of it. I glare at him before turning around and storming inside. "Bella!" Seth calls out, but I slam the door before I hear what else he has to say. "Hey! No slamming the- oh, hey Bella. How was your trip with Seth?" Sam asks, walking down the stairs. "Great," I say sarcastically, walking into the kitchen and opening the fridge. I grab a bottle of Sparkling Lemonade and take a sip. It's sour, but I don't care. "Bella, come on! I'm sorry that I called you an invalid! Ah," Seth says, but then stops when he sees Sam. He gives me a panicked look, and I glare at him. "Why would you call Bella an invalid?" Sam asks, eyeing the two of us. "Cause he's an ass," I say, walking past them. I sit on the couch between Paul and Jared. Paul throws his arm around my shoulders and kisses my temple. I smack his shoulder; he knows that that annoys me. But, I snuggle into his side, enjoying his warmth. "Bella, what do you think we should watch? I want to watch an action movie, but Jared here wants to watch a comedy. So, you choose," Paul says, rubbing my arm. "Well, I feel like watching a comedy. So, I go with Jared's decision," I say. Paul pouts. "POPCORN!" Brady and Collin yell out when Emily brings in two huge bowls of popcorn into the living room. "Hello, Bella," Emily greets, handing me a bowl of popcorn. Paul takes a handful right away and stuffs it all in his mouth. "Hey," I mumble, really not in the mood for talking. Jacob walks in and sits against my legs. I play with his hair, not paying attention to the movie. Brady and Collin are still fighting over the popcorn, and I smile slightly. I'm going to miss this. I'm going to miss everyone. "Bella, do you want to come help me finish dinner?" Emily asks when the movie is over. "Sure," I say, standing up. I sway a little, and Paul steadies me. "You okay?" He asks, looking at me, concerned. "Yeah, I'm fine," I say, waving him off. Seth gives me a knowing look, and I narrow my eyes at him. I go into the kitchen and help Emily with the food. There's two big bowls of salad, one ceasar and one greek, and there are three different kinds of fish, salmon, halibut, and swordfish. There's also some roasted vegetables, rolls, and mashed potatoes. It looks more like a dinner, but then again, all of the boys are werewolves. "Alright, come on to the table boys," I say as Emily fills the last glass with water and then sets the pitcher on the table. The boys come running to the table, and fight for seats. Sam sits next to Emily, who sits next to Collin, who sits next to Brady, who sits next to Jake, who sits next to me, who sits next to Paul, who sits next to Jared, and who sits next Seth. Some of the pack are missing, but I have no idea where they are. "So, what did you guys do during your trip? Where'd you go?" Brady asks while he tears apart a roll. "Yeah! Tell us all about it!" Collin says, dipping his finger in the mashed potatoes. "Well, we went sightseeing. But we mostly spent time in the hospital," Seth says. I start to choke on the fish that I was eating, and Paul has to pat me on the back a couple of times. "The hospital? Why were you at the hospital?" Sam asks, his dark eyebrows pulling together. "No reason," I say casually, giving Seth a warning look. "Bella had to get some tests done." Oh my god. He better not do what I think he is going to do. "Why? What's wrong with Bella?" Jared asks, looking at me from behind Paul. "Seth," I hiss out, now glaring. "What tests, Seth?" Emily asks, looking concerned. "Nothing," I say at the same time Seth says, "For cancer." Everyone stops eating. It's silent, and not the good type of silence. Slowly, I feel and see everyone's turn to me. I wipe my mouth with my napkin, and stand up. "Seth, can I talk to you in private?" I ask, more like demand. Seth follows me outside and onto the porch. It's stopped raining, and the smell of it is heavy in the air. When the door closes, I whirl on him. "What the hell was that?" I yell at him. "Bella, they need to know," Seth says, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, but I thought we agreed to tell them this weekend!" "No, you decided that. I said it was a bad idea." "Well, you know what? It was my decision to tell them and when to tell them, not yours! I am the one who has fucking cancer!" "Bella?" I hear. I still, recognizing that voice. Slowly, I close my eyes and take a shaky breath. Turning around, I say, "Hey, dad. Mom." "Bella?" My dad repeats. "I have to get out of here," I say. "No, Bella. You are going back into that house and we are going to have a civilized conversation about this," Mom says, walking up to me and taking my arm. She leads me into the house and sets me on the couch. Seth sits down next to me, but I ignore him. What he did was right, but not okay. "What kind of cancer, Bella?" Jake asks, squatting in front of me and taking my hand. Tears well up in my eyes, and I blink them back. "Breast cancer. Stage three," I say, and I hear a gasp. Dad. "Th-that's worse than Renee's," he stutters out. I can tell he's crying, but I can't bring myself to look. "Why didn't you tell us?" Jake asks, rubbing my hand. "I-I didn't want to. I didn't want you guys to freak out. I just found the bump last week, and I thought it wasn't anything until I checked again and it was bigger. So I asked Seth to drive me to get the tests done and then the results. I'm so sorry," I cry out, now sobbing uncontrollably. Jake stands up and gathers me into his arms. I clutch at his shirt, soaking it actually. "Bella, honey, you don't have to be sorry. You don't have to be sorry for anything," Jake whispers in my ear. "We are here to support you, Bella. Don't you ever forget that," Paul says. "We love you, Bella," everyone says. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Eat," Sue says, setting a plate of food on the table in front of me. It's piled with eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and fruit.

"I'm not hungry," I mutter, pushing the plate of food away from me. I have my first meeting with the cancer doctor today and I get to find out my treatment plan. What my chemotherapy will be, if I have to get surgery, etc. I'm not looking forward to it.

"Bella, you have to eat. You have to keep your strength up," Dad says, giving me a pleading look. I just can't bring myself to eat.

"Do you want me to force feed you?" Jake asks, giving me a stern look. His stance is intimidating, crossed arms and feet shoulder width apart. Yeah, it's the pack stance, but you really never get used to it.

"No," I mumble.

"Then eat," he commands, taking a plate from Sue and sitting down next to me. He takes a bite of his eggs to emphasis his point. Slowly, I reach for my fork and spear a piece of strawberry onto it. I take a small bite, chew, and swallow.

"Good girl," Jake says.

"So, Jake, when are your cousins coming to town?" Seth asks, bouncing up and down.

"Around twelve o'clock today. And then we are having the bonfire tonight to welcome them into the pack," Jake says, smirking at Seth. "Why so excited?"

"No reason," Seth says, quickly leaving the room. I will never understand that kid.

"So, they are arriving pretty close to when we get back home from the doctor," I say, taking another bite of fruit.

"Yeah," Jake says, nodding.

"Come on, Bella. Hurry up! Jake and I are driving you," Seth whines, twirling his keys around on his finger.

"Alright, I'm coming," I say, standing up. I sway and Jake catches me.

"You alright?" He asks.

I nod my head.

Still, Jake picks me up bridal style and carries me to the car. I don't care. He's warm and I'm cold. That, and he loves carrying me. So it is a win-win situation. After Jake sets me down in the car, he lays out a blanket over me, tucking it close. Then, he closes the door and goes to talk to Seth. I can't hear or make out what they are saying, but I have a pretty good idea that it's about me. They keep motioning to the car, so that's how I know. Or it could be about the car. Once they finish talking, Seth gets into the drivers seat and Jacob slides in next to me, throwing his arm around me.

"I'm not on chemo yet, Jacob. You don't have to keep me warm," I grumble, irritated when my body goes closer him.

"Well, you're freezing. So stop complaining," Jake says, rubbing my shoulders.

"Shut up," I mumble, starting to fall asleep.

"Do you understand everything, Miss Swan?" The doctor asks me. I nod my head.

"Alright, I will see you later this afternoon for your first round of chemo. Make sure to bring some warm clothes, though. The chemo can make you really cold," he says, standing up. I stand up to, shaking his hand.

"Do you want some lunch?" Seth asks me.

"Sure," I say, shrugging on my jacket.

"Alright, what do you want to eat?" Jake asks. I shrug my shoulders.

"How about we go get some pizza? You know, it's your last meal before all hell breaks loose," Seth says. I try to ignore the 'last meal' part, but I can't stop thinking about it. Who knows, it could end up being that.

"Sure, pizza sounds good," I say.

"Alright, lets go get pizza," Jake says, giving Seth a pointed look.

"What?" Seth asks.

"You know what," Jake replies sternly.

When we get to the car, Jake hands me the blanket again before sliding in next to me. I snuggle into his side, already getting cold. It's about twenty minutes before we reach the pizza parlor, and it's packed. I'm skeptical that we are going to get a table, but Jake seems pretty confident.

"Watch and learn," Jake whispers in my ear.

I watch him as he walks up to the hostess, whose texting on her phone. She's blonde, tall, big bust, and, well, beautiful. I see her look up at Jake, and then see her totally check him out. He's leaning in close to her, close enough that their noses are just inches apart. She laughs, and gets a knowing look in her eye. When her eyes flicker to Seth and I, however, they narrow suspiciously. Jake gets her attention again, and she nods her head. Looks like he won her over.

"I am a genius," Jake smirks, walking over.

"Sure you are," I say, rolling my eyes.

"What? I got us a table in a very packed restaurant, didn't I?" Jake says, raising his eyebrows at me.

"Yep, you did. After making a fool of yourself by flirting with Miss Slut over there," I say, nodding to the hostess who's walking away from the table.

"Yeah, how did you pull that off?" Seth asks, helping me into my chair before sitting in the one next to it. He immediately grabs a menu and starts reading what the options are.

"Well, after Shelley noticed that you guys were with me, she started to get suspicious. So I just said that I was setting up Seth with Bella," Jake says, nonchalantly. I spit the water I was drinking out of my mouth when I hear that. I glance over at Seth, who as his nose buried in the menu, literally.

"Why would you do that?" Seth says, still hiding in the menu.

"Well, it did get us a table," Jake mutters, scratching the back of his head.

"He's my brother," I point out, pointing my finger at a still hiding Seth. He finally lowers the menu from his face, frowning.

"I still got us a table." I stick my tongue out at Jake. "Very mature for a twenty year old, Bella," Jake chastises.

"Same to you. You might as well have just said that you and Seth were a couple," I say. Seth groans, and then puts his face in the menu again.

"No, I think that's worse. A lot worse," Jake says, his eyes closed shut.

"Alright, my name is Krista and I will be your server today. Now, do you know what you want to drink?" Krista the Server says, still looking down at her pad of paper. When she gets the answer of silence, she looks up. Low and behold, she looks exactly like Shelley the Slut. I think this whole cancer diagnosis thing is making me bitter. I usually never give people these kinds of nicknames. Especially slut.

"Three cokes," Jake says, and then, "Do you guys know what you want to eat?"

"Why don't we just get one large cheese pizza and two large pepporini. Simple, easy, gone in minutes," Seth says.

"Alright, is that all?" Krista the Server asks.

"Yep," I reply, not liking how she's checking out both Jake and Seth. Jeeze, I know they're both hot, but come on!

"Alright, I will give your order to the chefs. I will be right back with your drinks," Krista says, before walking away. I scoff as Seth and Jake have their eyes glued to her swaying hips. I snap my fingers in both of their faces, and that gets their attention.

"Hello? I'm the girl dying from cancer here! Not Miss Slutty Server over there!" Yes, I have extended Krista the Server's nickname to Krista the Slutty Servant. Don't judge me.

"Bella," Seth says, giving me a look.

"What? It's true. And the looks you guys were giving her ass was not a pretty site to see," I say.

"Alright. Well, ugh, whatever. So, Jake, tell us about these awesome cousins of yours that we are celebrating tonight," Seth says, leaning back in his chair and throwing his arm around my shoulders.

"Well, there's Quil. He's the older one, my age, twenty-four. He's more of the out-going type of guys. Loves to joke around, very funny, like-able guy. He may come off as annoying, but he really isn't. Honestly, he's pretty much like brother with everyone he meets. But, I have never seen him with a girl. So no, Bella, I do not recommend him as your boyfriend," Jake says.

"I wasn't even going to go there," I mutter, reaching for my water.

"Here are your drinks, and your food should be out in about fifteen minutes," Krista the Slutty Servant Who's Wearing a Black Bra With a White Shirt says, setting down our drinks. Yes, I keep on adding to her name. I don't like her, so I will keep on adding to her name. Deal with it.

"He sounds like a cool guy. What about the other one? Eli, right?" Seth asks, taking a piece of pizza.

"No, Embry. He's, like, the total opposite of Quil. Well, I mean like, everyone likes him. He's not a jackass or anything like that. He's just shy and quiet. But he's a really caring fellow. Always has a solution to every problem. He's gentle, sweet, and a really good guy all around. He's really smart, too. He was head of the debate club at his old school, and some science club. The debate thing totally surprised everyone. Here's this incredibly shy kid, and it turns out he's amazing at debate. I went to one, and it was super cool. He's incredibly supportive. He truly is an amazing guy. Him, I would allow you to date, Bella," Jake says, taking his fourth piece of pizza. Don't ask me how he's already on his fourth piece with all of the talking he's doing. It's strange, I know.

"He sounds like a good guy. Wait, is he in high school? Why would I date a guy in high school?" I ask, picking at my piece.

"Eat, Bella," Seth says. I take a bite just to placate him.

"He's not in high school. He actually just got out of college. He's the head chef at that new restaurant in Forks. That's why he's moving down here. Quil, well, he has his own reasons," Jake says. I finally finish my first piece of pizza and go to grab a second, only to realize that two of the pizzas are gone and there is only one piece of cheese left.

"You guys are unbelievable," I say in awe.

"Here. You have to eat," Seth replies, taking the last piece and placing it on my plate.

"Um, you kind of have to hurry. We have to be back at the hospital in twenty minutes," Jake says, looking at his watch. I roll my eyes; Jake and his ever so nonexistent punctuality.

"Since when are you so on top of time?" I question, taking a sip of my coke.

"Since I learned that you had cancer," Jake replies.

"Alright, lets go. I can eat this piece in the car," I say, grabbing a napkin and wrapping it around the pizza. We leave after Jake signs the check. And guess who's numbers was on it? Miss Krista the Slutty Server Who's Wearing a Black Bra With a White Shirt and Miss Shelley the Slut. Jake's expression was a classic one; I got a picture. Perfect blackmail.

* * *

Once we get to the hospital, everything happens very quickly. The doctor quickly explains the chemotherapy again as he leads me to the treatment room. There's other patients there, and it makes me nervous. Some are like me, look completely healthy. Others are bald, but still look pretty healthy. And then others are bald, thin, and their skin looks papery. Seth notices my nervousness and he grabs my hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Alright, so you will be sitting right here. Here's some blankets for you incase you get cold from the chemo. The nurse will be with you in a few minutes to get you all set up with the drip. It will take about an hour to an hour and a half. We want to start you out slow. It's a pretty high dosage of chemo your getting since your cancer is stage three, so that makes us a little worried. This will be the trial run to see if you can handle this much dosage. When you come back in four days, we'll see the results of how the chemo is affecting you and then go on from there," the doctor says before leaving.

I sit down in the chair, and try to get comfortable. It's as hard as a rock.

"Do you want to sit on my lap?" Seth asks, looking at me fidget. When I nod my head, Seth picks me up and then sits down in the chair with me on his lap. I place my head on his shoulder, and close my eyes. I never realizes how tired I was until this moment. Gosh. Soon after I close my eyes, I fall asleep.

"Bella, honey, you have to wake up now. We have to get you ready for the party tonight," someone says, lightly shaking my shoulder.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to fight off the sudden nausea. Why do I feel so sick? All of a sudden, I roll over onto my side and throw up into the trashcan. How convenient that it's next to my bed. Wait, my bed? I'm home? Last I remember, I was at the hospital!

"Good thinking, Jake. That would have been a pain to clean up," the same voice says.

"Jacob?" I whisper, opening my eyes.

"I'm right here, Bella. Come on, can you open your eyes? Please?" Jake pleads. I open my eyes with a little bit of a struggle. I am met with the faces of my mom, Sue, and Jake.

"Where am I?" I ask, tiredly.

"You're at home sweatheart. Jake says you fell asleep right before the nurse came with your chemo treatment. You were asleep the entire time and on the drive home. You got here about thirty minutes ago," Mom says.

"Oh," I say, rubbing my eyes. I groan.

"What's the matter, Bella?" Jacob asks, concerned.

"I feel like crap," I mutter, concentrating on my breathing.

"Well, how about you go take a bath and then I'll help you get dressed for tonight. We have about an hour before everyone goes down to the beach before the bonfire starts," Mom says.

"Ok," I mutter, getting up from bed. Mom leads me to the bathroom, holding onto my elbow just in case I fall over.

The bath feels great. No, it feels absolutely amazing. The warm water helps to cool my aching back and the bubbles, well, they are fun to play with. It's as if I am a child all over again. I wish I were right now, actually, then I wouldn't have to deal with this. To soon, thought, I have to get out of the tub. I protest, like a little kid would, and I fail. I can hear Jacob laughing outside the door, and I curse at him. Of course, that just makes him laugh louder.

"Alright, do you want comfy or do you want fancy?" Mom asks me, holding up skinny jeans and sweatpants.

"Sweatpants," I whisper, finding it hard to breathe at the moment.

"Alright. Come on, after this, Jake will carry you downstairs and then to the beach area," Mom says. It takes a little while for me to get dressed. My joints hurt, and my whole body aches. But once I get my clothes on, I am comfortable. But I know one thing for sure, I hate chemotherapy.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Alright, Bella! Do you want a piggyback ride to the beach? Or do you want the boring, old-fashioned I carry you in my arms ride to the beach?" Jake asks me. I look up at him from my book. Right now, I am laying down on the couch in my parents living room while everyone else is getting the food ready to be transported to the beach. My mom had handed me my favorite book, _Wuthering Heights_, after Jake had laid me down on the couch. So, basically it's been a productive afternoon for everyone else, and I've been laying on the couch.

"No piggyback rides, Jacob Black! She barely has any strength to sit up, therefore she can't hold onto you. Now, pick her up, and let's go," Leah, my sister, says after she walks through the front door.

"Hey, Leelee," I say, straining to sit up.

"Hey, Bella. Stop hurting yourself, I'm coming to give you a hug. And then I will carefully watch Jacob carry you down to the beach. I'm warning you, Jake, you drop her and your dead," Leah threatens. Jake puts his hands up in surrender and walks into the kitchen, muttering things under his breath.

"Where are you going? You need to carry her!" Leah says, following Jacob.

"Well, either I carry her and you kill me, or I don't and you kill me. Which one is it? 'Cause I prefer neither," Jake says, walking back over to me.

"I didn't say that. I said if you drop her, then I would kill you. There's a difference. Now, if you don't hurry up, I will kill you. I don't want that Katie bitch to steal Quil. And yes, Jacob, I will be seeing Quil, so shut your mouth. Deal with it. He sounds like a great guy! And I don't care if he hasn't had a girlfriend yet! As if that's true! Now, hurry up!" Leah exclaims loudly, and then walks out the door. Well, that was interesting.

"What do you think she did in Europe to make her like this?" Jacob asks, shifting my into his arms.

"I have no idea," I say, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"And she said she's getting together with Quil. I don't know how or why she would choose him of all people," Jake says. I give him a questioning look. "Quil is the complete opposite from Sam."

"Well, she doesn't need to date another Sam. This is good for her. She needs change. Maybe with Quil, she will be happy. And she could probably leave this town," I say. Jake snorts, apparently not believing me.

For whatever reason, he always seems disappointed and annoyed whenever I mention leaving La Push. I mean like, who doesn't? It's a small reservation with an equally as small town just fifteen minutes away. It's an hour and half, give or take, to the nearest mall. Everybody knows everybody and everything about every person. That's why I go to a college outside of La Push. Well, it's more like outside of Washington and down a few states. And I guess I can't go back to UCLA for awhile because of my cancer. Well isn't cancer a wonderful thing? Anyways, back to the matter that I was ranting about. La Push is a small place. It's not a bad thing that people might want to leave.

"So, how are you? How is the chemo treating you?" Jake asks, glancing down at me.

"Well, let's see. I feel nauseous, weak, cold, tired. Basically everything the doctor said it might cause," I say, yawning a little.

"I can tell you right now that Leah has set up a little lounging area for you to sit and rest on. You'll be comfortable. And you don't have every side effect, Bella. You still have your hair," Jake says, the corner of his lips twitching.

"It's only the first round of chemotherapy. It's going to take awhile for my hair to fall out," I mutter, scowling.

"Don't be so negative. How about this, Seth and I will take pictures of you when you still have hair. You will never know when we will, so it could be a surprise or it could not be. And then we will still take pictures as you are losing your hair. And then still take them as you are bald. Then we can put it all in a scrapbook and call it _The Life of Isabella Marie Swan's Hair_," Jake says. I smile at that. Jake always finds a way to make me smile.

"Jake! Over here! You can put her over here! It's near the fire and where everyone else will be, so she won't feel so left out. Now come on, set her down and then let's go get her some food," Leah yells over.

I glance over at Leah, annoyed.

"You do realize that the 'she' you guys are talking about is right here?" I say, pointing to myself.

"Shut up, Bella. Let us take care of you for once," Leah says. I stick my tongue out at her.

"Bella," my dad says sternly.

"What?" I ask innocently.

"You know what," he says, giving me one of his small smiles. I huff, and cross my arms.

"Ouch!" I yelp when Seth jumps into my pile of blankets and pillows. His head lands hard on my lap, and it hurts.

"Seth!" Leah says, hitting him with a pillow. Seth cowers away from her, grabbing his own pillow and using it as a shield. They start a little pillow fight over my head, and I try to move out of the way when I feel strong hands grab me. Squealing, I turn around to see who had grabbed me. I am met with chocolate brown eyes…

"Hey, I thought you needed some rescuing from these two dogs over here," Paul says, tossing his head to my two pillow-fighting siblings.

"Well, thank you, Paul. Though I was kind of hoping that you would be a very handsome guy who was not a hothead," I say, smirking at him.

"Someone like me?" A voice says behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I see a very tall and muscular guy. He has dark brown curly hair and narrow, caramel eyes. His skin is that native color, though slightly darker, probably from exposure to the sun. He's wearing a short-sleeved button down green T-shirt with black shorts; his feet are bare. My eyes are drawn to a darker patch of skin that are seen just below the sleeve of his shirt. I nod my head at it. "I guess you already have the signature tattoo that all of the guys seem to have, Quil," I say.

"Oh, yeah. The boys grabbed me and strapped me down to a wooden table and had their way with me all within the first five minutes I stepped onto La Push," Quil joked. I wasn't sure if it was Quil, but that comment just confirmed it.

"Yes, well, those tattoos are something special apparently. However, some people in La Push believe that it is a sign of a gang. But there are girls who just love them, so you might have some screaming fan girls to run from in the near future," I reply. Quil smiles wide at that comment.

"I don't mind that. I'm just wondering if you will be a part of that fan club," Quil smirks.

"Do I seem to be drooling over you at this moment?" I question.

"No, but what does that have anything to do with it?" Quil replys, furrowing his busy dark eyebrows.

"It gives you an answer," I say, smiling up at him. It takes Quil a moment to understood, and when he does, he frowns.

"Bummer. You seem like a cool gal," Quil says sadly.

"Don't you dare go to try to get in Bella's pants dude. I will personally murder you and get our bros to help me hide the body. Some of them might help kill you," Jake says, coming up and slapping Quil on the back.

"Hey man, what you doing? Would you really go against your own family? That hurts man," Quil says, taking a step back and pretending to cry. I giggle at that.

"Well, Bella is family too. Especially right now," Jake says, taking a step toward me and placing an arm around my shoulders.

"Especially right now? What, is she pregnant or something?" Quil jokes, laughing. Niether Jake nor I say anything, and I can feel the prick of tears in my eyes. I curse myself. Now is not the time to be crying. I can see the change in Quil instantly; gone is the joking, laughing, carefree boy in front of me. Now, Quil looks serious, more grown up.

"I'm sorry for saying that. I can tell it's a lot more, um, it's more than that. You guys don't have to tell me now. But how about we get Bella some food and I get to know her on a friendly bases?" Quil says, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh, yeah. I put your food on the little wooden table where you were sitting, Bella," Jake says, leaning down and swishing me up into his arms. I hit him across his chest.

"JACOB! You know that I don't like it when you do that," I say, unable to keep the laugh out of my voice. Jake just laughs as her carries me back over to my area and sets me down. He sits down right next to me and Quil sits across from me amongst the dark purple pillows. I glance over to my right to see that Seth and Leah are still having a pillow battle against each other, completely oblivious to what is going on around them.

"So, tell me, why on earth are you here?" Jake says, stuffing a hot dog in his mouth. I stare at him shocked that he can fit the whole thing in his mouth.

"Well, I heard that there was a job offering in the police department. I just got laid off in LA cause they closed the office that I was working at. My dad told me that Charlie was looking for a new officer, so I decided to move Embry and I up here," Quil explains. That confuses me.

"Wait, was it only your decision to move here or did Embry have a choice in this matter?" I ask, not really knowing why I am so bothered with this.

"I told Embry that I was moving and asked if he wanted to come. He said yes, and now here we are. Carly wasn't very happy though. She threw a rock or two at our place and a couple of windows broke. I've always known she was bat-shit crazy and I've been telling Embry to end it with her for months. He just wouldn't listen. Especially when she told him she was pregnant and he had her move in with us. That drove me insane. When Embry told her that we were moving, he asked her to come with us. She freaked out ad said that she would never move to La Push, Washington. And then Embry brought up the baby and she just lost it. Said it wasn't even his, that it was John's. That caused Embry to freak out, but it got his head on straight. So, then we packed up all of our stuff, sold the apartment, and we came here. End of story," Quil tells us, completely calm. Jake and I have both of our mouths open.

"Wait, who is John?" I ask.

"Well, he was Embry's best friend. They were college roommates and they got really close. But I guess they were not as close as Embry thought."

"Speaking of Embry, where is he? I haven't seen him around here yet," Jake mumbles, looking around us.

"He's somewhere. You know Embry, always wondering around," Quil says, finishing the food on his plate. I'm not even halfway done, but I can't eat anymore. I feel sick, so I push my plate away from me. Of course, Jake notices.

"Bella you have to eat," Jake says, pulling the plate back.

"No, I feel sick," I say, pushing it away.

"The doctor said you have to eat, Bella. Even if you feel sick, you have to eat. You have to keep your strength up. Come on, eat," Jake says, holding a green grape between his thumb and forefinger. I shake my head.

"Doctor? Jake, man, what is going on with her?" Quil asks, looking really concerned.

"Eat," Jake commands, ignoring him.

"I don't wa-" I say, but then Jake puts the grape in my mouth. I glare at him, and he gives me a stern look.

Quil is looking back and forth between Jake and I, clearly confused. I feel bad for him, but I really don't want to say anything. I've had enough pity for one day, and I don't want to ruin tonight. Everyone is having so much fun, and I don't want to end that.

"Will one of you please tell me what's going on?" Quil asks, his voice wavering. I shake my head at Jake, but he does the same as everyone else. Tells Quil the secret that is my right to tell.

"Bella was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer this week," Jake says. Quil's eyes widen as he looks at me.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"I am so sorry," Quil says, the shock still evident on his face.

"Yeah, I know," I grumble, standing up.

Ignoring Jake's protests, I grab a blanket and walk toward the ocean. I enjoy hearing the light crash of the waves as they break on the beach. It's very soothing. The sea breeze takes some of my hair and whips it across my face, getting in my mouth. I attempt to spit it out, but it doesn't go as planned; like many things in my life lately. Couldn't I just get one night where my cancer isn't the topic of conversation? Tonight's bonfire was supposed to be about Quil and Embry, but now that Quil knows, I am sure the party is going to turn into a Pity Party for Bella. It's kind of annoying, actually.

All of the boys have gotten a lot more protective and are treating me like a baby. Don't get me wrong, getting doted on by extremely hot men is absolutely terrific, but I also kind of think that it's because I'm sick. They have always treated me as if I were their little sister and best friend, but now it's something more. I don't know how to describe it, but it's there.

Looking out at the ocean, I take in a deep breath. I wonder what it would be like to be a fish. Yeah, a fish. I know it's crazy to want to be a fish, but you know what? Fish don't have to worry about anything! Well, okay, maybe they have to worry about predators and getting eaten and stuff, but so what? I would be a fish!

"Hey, you okay," someone asks from behind me. I snort.

"No. All I wanted was one night where I could be a regular person. It's supposed to be about Jake's cousins tonight, but I kind of think that the whole thing is going to end up about me," I say.

"Well, that's good for me then. I have never been a fan of attention," the guy beside me says. I feel my eyes widen as I turn toward him. I expect him to be looking at me, as self-centered as that sounds, but he's not.

His charming face is facing the ocean, a look of wonder on his face. There's a small smile on his lips, as if he's thinking about something happy and distant. His hands are tucked in to his denim shorts, which hug his thick thighs. This boy, well, man is more accurate, is built just like the rest of the Pack. No wonder he's moving to La Push, he fits right in.

"So, you're Embry then?" I ask, still looking at him. I see him still, probably not expecting me to know his name. "I met Quil about five minutes ago, give or take. He's an interesting guy."

Embry snorts.

"Tell me about it. And try living with him! It's quite interesting actually. And the conversations that we get into, those are even more interesting. Seriously, you should witness some of them. Maybe I'll drag him here right now…" Quil trails off as he turns toward me.

His eyes meet mine. His deep, brown eyes that have little gold flecks in them make them not completely dark. So many emotions, I wonder. They range from confusion to wonder to relief to happiness to sadness and back. It's like he's trying to look into my soul, like he's seeing me for the first time. Okay, fine, I guess this is the first time that he's ever seen me, but you know what I mean. I don't think I've ever had someone look at me this way before.

Blinking, I look away, blushing. What just happened? I glance up at Embry again and avert my eyes quickly. He's still staring. Why is he still staring? I'm not _that_ interesting! And he's like a god! Why is he gaping at me when he could have any other girl?

I jump when I feel a very hot hand graze mine. I look up to see Embry look shocked, and kind of sad, when I take a step away from him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Embry whispers, his voice hoarse.

"It's okay," I whisper back, stepping toward him. His face brightens considerably, and I smile at that. I don't know why, but I like it when he smiles.

Embry continues to smile at me as we talk, which is practically nonsense. We talk about the ocean and the woods and what animals we would want to be. He said otter and wolf, and I said dolphin and wolf. Embry's smile widened at that, causing my stomach to flutter. We talked about our childhoods, also. I was surprised to find out that Embry and his family moved out of La Push when he turned five. He said he didn't know why, but I have a seeking suspicion that he knows why. I don't push the subject though.

After while, it started to get cold. Embry and I had been sitting by the water for who knows how long, but I didn't want to go back. I try not to shiver, but I can't help it.

"You're cold" Embry says, sounding concerned.

"I'm f-fine," I say, though the chattering of my teeth disagree.

"Come here, Bella," Embry chuckles, lifting me up and placing me in between his legs. I freeze, not expecting that. Embry stills too, and tries to move away.

"No. D-don't," I say, enjoying his warmth. Embry hesitates, clearly not sure on what to do. "Please," I whisper.

Embry scoots back toward me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I snuggle into his embrace, enjoying his warmth. His thumb makes circles on the back of my hand, and it's very soothing. We stay in this position for what seems like forever. I never want to leave or ever be interrupted. But it seems my wishes just aren't coming rue at all this month.

"Bella? Where are you?" I hear someone call. I sit up slightly and so does Embry. We look behind us to see two figures. When they get closer, I see that it is Jake and Quil.

"Bella! We've been looking everywhere for you! Paul I found her!" Jake yells, still walking toward us.

"Where is she?! She doesn't want to know what I'm going to do to her for giving me a heart attack!" Paul yells back. I see a dark figure running toward us. When he gets closer, he glowers at me. My eyes widen when I feel Embry's chest rumble as he growls. Wait, he growls? His arms tighten around me as he shifts me slightly, hiding me from Paul's view. What the hell is going on? Looking at Jake and Quil, I see that they are looking at Embry; they had their mouths wide open.

"Did he just…?" Jake trails off.

"I think he did," Paul answers.

"He doesn't even know," Quil says, sadness thick in his voice.

"She doesn't either," Jake says.

"That's not what I mean," Quil says, finally looking away.

"I think that we should head back to the fire. The legends are going to start soon," Jake says.

"Can't I just stay here with Embry? I've heard the legends a million of times," I say, pouting. I'm kind of mad that the three boys interrupted Embry and I. Sure, we weren't doing anything, but I still loved it.

"Come on, Bella. I haven't heard Billy tell the stories before. Besides, you don't want to be by yourself here, do you? And you'll be freezing cold as well," Embry says, starting to get up.

"Don't leave me!" I yell, gripping his shirt in my two tiny fists. Embry chuckles and lifts me up in his arms, making me gasp. "Put me down! I'm going to make you break your back," I yell, smacking Embry's chest repeatedly.

"Oh, hush. I'm a lot stronger than you think. You are as light as a feather," Embry says.

"Soon to be a lot lighter too," I mutter, too low for Embry to hear.

"What? How could you possibly get any lighter? Am I going to have to force-feed you for you to gain some weight?" Embry chuckles lightly. I gape at him. How in the world did he hear that? I barely heard myself say that!

"How did you hear that?" I ask.

"Have you not heard? Everyone calls Embry elephant ears. He practically heard everything when he was little. Even more so now," Quil laughs. Everyone else laughs, apparently understanding an inside joke. The laughter quiets down when my stomach rumbles loudly. All eyes turn on me. I feel my face get hot.

"Jacob Ephraim Black! Did you not feed Bella?" Leah gasps.

"What? I did! See, her empty plate is right…oh," Jake trails off at the end as he sees my plate. It is still piled with food.

"Bella! You have to eat! The doctor said so!" Leah reprimands, dragging me away from Embry. I hear Embry growl, but I think nothing of it as Leah plops me down back into my pile of cushions and blankets.

"Ugh, Bella. Now your food is cold. Jake, get her a new plate of food. One of the pack will eat this other plate. And I am sure Embry will make you eat this plate of food, Isabella," Leah looks me sternly in the eye.

"I will force feed her if I have to. Don't fight me on this, Bella. You are too thin for your own good. Why hasn't anyone fed her? She's as light as a feather; even lighter," Embry chuckles, coming to sit next to me. The atmosphere quickly drops; silence takes over our small gathering. I feel my body tense as I know the direction everybody's thoughts are going. Well, everyone's except Embry's. I guess he would have to know eventual.

"What's wrong with everyone? All I said was that Bella is as light as a feather," Embry says, clearly starting to get confused.

"Um, well. That's a little complicated. You see – " Leah starts to say.

"I have cancer," I interrupt, looking down at my hands.

It's like everything froze. People stopped breathing. The waves stopped moving. The wind stopped blowing. The fire stopped crackling. The coals stopped shimmering. Everything stopped, but it didn't.

All of a sudden, I heard a broken sob. I look up and see Embry; he looks broken. He's fallen to his knees as he looks at me, his eyes shattered. His face is pale, ashen even. Tears are openly falling down his cheeks in a rapid cycle. He's heaving, like he's struggling to breathe. Embry falls forward, his hands barely catching him; they first themselves into the sand. His sobbing escalates louder, sounding like a dying cat.

Slowly, I stand up. Jacob hovers over me, but Leah holds him back by the arm. I walk over to Embry and kneel down in front of him. He looks up at me, and his sobbing subsides a little. I wrap my arms around him, hugging him tightly. He engulfs me in his arms, burying his head in the spot between my neck and shoulder. We stay like that for what seems like forever. Once Embry calms down, he picks me up and carries me over to the fire. We sit down and just talk. He makes me eat, which is good because I am starving.

Embry actually takes the task of feeding me so seriously that he even ignores my protest of no more food. He traps my hands in one of his and gently shoves more food into my mouth. Once he is satisfied that I have eaten enough, he eats the rest of the food on my plate. I stare at him with wide eyes, making him give me a questioning look.

"How can you eat so much? You already had four plate of food," I say, taking the plate of food away from him. Embry whines a little at that, but I ignore it.

"I am a growing man! I need food!" Embry takes the plate back.

"No, you don't!" I take the plate.

"Yes, I do," he calmly replies. Before I know it, he has scarfed down the remaining food. I stare at the empty plate in astonishment before shaking my head.

"What?" Embry asks, brushing a piece of hair away from my face.

"You are one strange human being, Embry Call," I say.

"Well, how about I explain how I am a _human being_ when we listen to the legends," Embry says as he turns toward the four elders. He grabs my hips and drags me closer to him, draping an arm around my shoulders. I lay my head down on his shoulder, feeling exhausted. My eyelids are as heavy as stones; I close my eyes.

"Bella, honey, you have to stay awake. I know you're tired, but this is really important," Embry whispers in my ear. He shakes me slightly on the shoulders, making my teeth rattle. I glare at him, but he doesn't look sorry. "I'll let you sleep all you want after this."

After I comply, Embry picks me up and places me between his legs. He grabs a blanket, draping it over my legs and tugging it around them. He even goes as far as to secure my cold hands between his warm ones. I whisper a thank you before I look at everyone. It appears to be that they were all waiting for me and Embry to be done with our conversation.

"Sorry," I say, my face getting red.

"It's alright, Isabella. We want you to be as comfortable as possible," Old Quil says hoarsely, giving me a small smile. Old Quil is the only person who refers to me as my given name. I've reminded him on multiple occasions that he could call me Bella, but he would always answer with, "A lady as beautiful as you deserves to be called by her full name."

I still don't understand that phrase. I don't think I ever will.

"Isabella, you have heard of the legends," Old Quil starts.

"Yes," I say, even though he said it as a statement.

"Do you recall the one of the cold ones and the wolves?" Billy asks, eyeing me carefully. I have to think hard for a couple of minutes.

"Is that the one with the third wife sacrificing herself?" I ask. I hear Jacob snort.

"Of course you would remember her," he chuckles out. Embry growls at Jacob, who puts his hands up in surrender. Billy gives them a pointed look.

"That is correct, Isabella. What do you remember of the wolves?" This took some more thinking; it has been awhile since I have heard the legends. Not to mention the fact that Embry was pressing his lips against the raised muscle between my neck and shoulder. It's very distracting. I shiver as his teeth graze my flesh.

"Embry, would you please not distract Isabella? We are trying to make this easier on the both of you," Old Quil says sternly. I could see the laughter in his eyes, however. Embry stops immediately, and I turn my head to see him. His face is as red as a tomato, clearly embarrassed at being caught. He clears his throat.

"Yes, sir…uh, I mean, Elder Quil," Embry stutters out.

"Bella, what do you remember of the wolves?" Billy repeats.

"Well, they are part of their human host. When a cold one was near, the gene would act up, causing the human to shift. The shifter was built to destroy a vampire," I start to feel uneasy.

"Sam?" Old Quil turns to Sam Uley.

"You were correct. The cold ones activate the shifter's gene," Sam says calmly.

"The signs are subtle at first. A growth spurt. More of a temper. Anything could set you off," Paul continues.

"The human gets really sick. A high fever, shivers, unbelievable pain…"

"You feel like you want to die," Leah starts and Seth finishes.

"It lasts for about three to five days," Jake says, wincing at some memory.

"And finally it's all over because the human shifts into the wolf," Quil says, looking me in the eyes. I turn my head away from him, and sit up. I turn toward to Embry, expecting him to continue with whatever is going on. Each person who spoke is seating next to each other. It's like they planned this or something.

"There's a chance for the wolf to find his soul mate. All he has to do is look into her eyes, and all the ties snap. It's not gravity or his family or friends or even his feet holding him to the earth. It's her. She's the only one for the human and the wolf. She completes them," Embry ends in a whisper. It finally clicks.

"The imprint," it comes out as a breathy sigh. Embry leans his forehead against mine and his warm breath washes over my face.

"I imprinted on you, Bella."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Imprinting is a strange supernatural affect. It ties one person to another for the rest of their lives. Yet it is determined by one single decision. The answer is supposed to be simple. It's a yes or no type of question. Do you accept the imprint? Yes or no? Do you want to be a sister or a lover? Do you want to live or die?

That is the question. Life or death? If the imprintee denies the wolf, both will die. It will be a painful, prolonged death. One that is full of convincing debates, weighted questions, begging, and crying. There's a pull. You feel the tug and the weight of it on your shoulders. Sometimes it draws you to your imprint in your sleep. You can find yourself in your car or walking down the middle of the street in the middle of the night. Desire to be in the arms of your lover will be so strong that you will want to burst. But then there is that question. Do you accept?

If an imprintee does not accept and dies before the wolf, the wolf continues to live. He or she will continue to live on without the imprintee, the pain of the pull dimming over time. Yes, the imprintee will be gone, would have passed. But the main thing is…is that the wolf would continue to live. He would continue to protect the people and to live on and be the amazing person that he is. He would live.

If an imprintee does accept the imprint and then dies, the wolf follows. He would pass in a matter of days or a matter of weeks. He would no longer be able to protect his people or watch his family grow. He would no longer be able to breathe or see or hear or smell. He would no longer be alive.

I cannot bear the weight of his death. He is so young and strong and kind. He is a good person, a caring person. I cannot take that kind of person away from this world. I would be creating a disservice. It should be a crime for taking such an amazing man away from this world. A world that is cruel and has so many evils. To take a person who has so much potential to better a world that is so awful is unfair. But to also put him through so much pain is unfair too. For him to witness my deterioration from a decision that I made about him with ruin everything. He would blame himself. He would try to convince me to change my mind, to change my heart. He would beg me to fight and to try to live on. He would say that I am the only one that is worthy of his heart. He would say that we were matches, that we were soul mates. He would try to change my heart.

So how can I be so evil as to say yes to such a man? How can I be so cruel as to let a man suffer along with his loved one? I can't be that type of person. He's already been through so much. He's already lost so much. I cannot let him lose me too.

So now I am faced with a question.

Life or death?

* * *

"He's waiting outside, you know," Leah says, opening the curtains. I close my eyes against the sudden light, pulling the covers over my head.

"He's been waiting outside all night," I yawn out, throwing the covers off of me. My teeth start to chatter against the sudden cold, and Leah comes over to the bed. She pulls the blankets back over me, tucking them closer.

"This chemo is going to tear you apart," she mutters, going to the closet and grabbing another blanket. She throws it over me before continuing to clean the room. I stare at her as she moves about the room, trying to understand her.

"How was Europe?" I ask, sitting up.

"It was beautiful. Next time I go, I'm taking you with me. We can travel the streets of Paris and ride in boats down the Venice rivers. It really was beautiful. You would enjoy it. Now, what are you going to do about Embry? He's pacing now," she opens a window. I can hear Embry muttering, so my guess is that he's close.

"Close the window! I don't want him to hear us!" I whisper yell. Embry laughs out.

"I'll be able to hear you regardless!" I scowl at the window.

"Fine, keep it open then," I say quietly, feeling tired. Rubbing my eyes, I say, "I don't know. It should be such a simple answer, but it's not. I don't want him to be alone after I'm gone."

"Bella, don't say that. He will fight with you. He will support you, take care of you, and be very kind. You haven't even given him an answer yet and he's already pacing outside the window!" Leah practically shouts. I wince. "Sorry."

"Leah, what happens if I don't survive the cancer? He will die. He's too young to die. He's also a great asset to the pack," I say, rubbing my stomach. I feel nuatious all of a sudden.

"If he is too young to die, then so are you. Now here is your tea. Peppermint," Leah answers my unasked question. I take the hot cup into my cold hands, breathing in the minty aroma. It comforts me, and eases the unsettlement in my stomach.

"Is he still out there?" I ask, taking a small sip.

Leah looks out the window, her eyebrows furrowing. Walking forward, she leans her head out. "No, he's not. Where'd he-?"

"If you die before accepting the imprint, I will take my own life," Embry says. I jump, causing the tea to spill over the blankets. Leah, on the other hand, hits the back of her head on the open window.

"Ouch! By Taha Aki! Embry, make more noise!" Leah shouts, rubbing her head.

"If you die before accepting the imprint, I will take my own life," Embry repeats, walking slowly forward.

"Embry, you can't," I protest.

"I don't care. I heard amazing things about you before I set eyes on you. How kind you are and caring and intelligent and beautiful. How relatable you are and how you are such a family type of woman. You are strong and creative. I fell in love with you before I even knew you."

Slowly, I set the cup down onto my lap. He sounds genuinely concerned and completely serious. He's just standing in the doorway, looking at me. I glance over at Leah, who looks slightly uncomfortable. She's inching toward the door, but seems hesitant because of Embry. He's in a state where he could do anything.

"Leah, can you get me a new blanket? This one is soaked." I haven't taken my eyes away from Embry's. I can see a thin line circle of yellow around his irises, meaning his wolf is close to the surface. I have to try and keep Embry calm before he completely loses it.

"Oh, definitely. I'll get you a new cup of tea too," Leah says, replacing the wet blanket with a dry one; it's still warm from the dryer. After Leah leaves the room with the cup and blanket, I take a deep breath.

"Will you sit with me?" I ask Embry, patting the empty side of my bed. Embry nods, but instead of sitting on the bed, he chooses to sit in the chair next to the bed. My mom, Sue, was sitting there all night because, well, it wasn't a good night for me. Embry was outside the whole time in his wolf form, so I guess it could have been worse.

"Always the respectful one," I laugh, ending in a cough. Embry rubs my back soothingly; one of his hands find my own. Once my coughing fit is over, I lean back against the pillows.

"It's like you said, we have only just met. I don't want to have your dad kick me out when I just got in," Embry whispers, his thumb making circlers on my palm.

"True," I whisper back, wincing.

"Is it supposed to be this bad?" Embry asks me.

"The chemo reaction? Well, it's my first round. The oncologist said that it would be bad the first couple of times because my body is trying to get used to it," I say, squeezing his hand. He squeezes back and his lips tilt up slightly.

"Well, I'll be here through it all. You never have to be alone again," Embry replies, engulfing one of my hands into both of his. He brings them up to his lips and presses them together. I smile, my eyes growing heavy.

"You're tired. Go to sleep, Bella. I'll stay here with you," Embry whispers, his fingers rubbing against my cheek. I mumble something unintelligible before I nod off to dreamland.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

_Peace. It's a strange word with so many different definitions. Well, it has the same definition, just different subjects. It's a time of calm, working together, and quiet. It's like a lake in Maine, tranquil and flat. A light breeze ruffles the leaves of the trees, causing a swooshing sound. Slowly, a leaf drifts down from a tree and lands in the water. Small ripples grow into larger ones until they disappear. The leaf sinks, settling at the bottom. All is quiet._

_ However, there is also chaos, mayhem, disasters, and war. It frightens people. They run, hide, or call for help. They do anything to save themselves or the loved ones around them. It is caused by greed, desire, hatred, and revenge. But chaos can also be the result of peace. A government may want peace to be universal, so she tries to implement it by force. It's like how the United States is trying to help other countries implement democracy, but her solution is war. Peace is a result of chaos. The two go hand in hand._

"Oh, please. She had every right to hit you Paul! You practically assaulted her! One look, and all of a sudden your lips are on hers and your hands are all over her! What was she supposed to do? Contine to make out with you infront of everyone? I would have flipped out to!" Leah yells out, interrupting my little writing session.

The pack walks in with groceries in each hand from the Forks grocery store. The one in La Push is closed due to some reconstruction that was needed years ago; the latest rainstorm did them in. Anyways, the pack came in with a lot of groceries. They ate the house out, and Sue said she couldn't go to the store again. So the pack took responsibility and matters into their own hands, they went to the store.

"My wolf took over! She's my imprint and he just lost it! I couldn't reel him back in," Paul defends himself, setting the groceries on the counter. Huh, so I guess Paul finally imprinted. About damn time too. Now her can worry about someone else constantly instead of me.

"You're lucky she agreed to leave her job early and come here with us. She's willing to listen, so don't screw it up," Jacob laughs out. "Hey Bells, what you doing? Wait, are you here alone? Where did Embry go," he ends in a growl. Rolling my eyes, I neatly stack my papers ad put them in my binder. I answer only after the binder is safely in my bag.

"He had patrol. All of you were at the store, so none of you could watch me. He wanted to stay, but I told him to go. Said that he would not only be protecting the tribe but me as well by going on watch. When he still refused, I threatened to not see him for a week. That caused him to hightail it out of here. Honestly, I am quite please with myself," I giggle out.

The pack just stares at me, looking scared.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Paul, are you going to explain why I followed you here?" A girl asks. Straining my neck, I see dark black hair and a hint of purple glasses. I would recognize those glasses anywhere.

"Angela?"

"Angela," Paul whispers, her name sounding like a caress.

The shifters move out of her way as Angela walks toward me. We haven't seen each other since our senior year of high school. We were thick as thieves, practically attached at the hip. When we were little, we would get in all kinds of trouble. When it was time to go our separate ways, well, let's just say a new ocean was created. We went off to different colleges, me to UCLA and her to Boulder with her boyfriend, Ben. She looks good. She's filled out, grew a couple inches, and even cut her hair. It's the same style as Taylor Swift's hair, and it suits her.

"Bella? Oh my gosh! I'm so happy to see you! I just got back home when I heard you were back! I ran into you mom, but she wouldn't tell me how you were. You're dad didn't say much either when he stopped by the house," Angela squeals, rushing over to me and giving me a hug. I wince slightly at her strong grip, and she lets go instantly. She studies me with her keen eyes. I can practically hear the click of the wheels turning in her head.

"You're not okay, are you?" She asks, her bottom lip quivering slightly. I give her a sad smile.

"No, I'm not okay," I whisper, opening my arms. She flings herself at me, crying into my shoulder. I rub her back and whisper soothing words to her. Paul looks frantic, clearly not understanding what is going on. I nod my head to the open section of the couch and Paul sits down. I gently nudge Angela in Paul's direction, and she willingly goes to him. He seems to panic, not knowing what to do. I make soothing hand motions, which he copies. Angela is just starting to calm down when Embry walks in the door.

"What's going on in here?" He asks, smiling at me.

"Um, apparentely Paul's imprint knows Bella," Jake says, giving us a weird look.

"Paul imprinted?" Embry asks, closing the door behind him. I shiver against the cold air that sneaks into the room before the door closes. Embry walks over to me, attempting to embrace me to give me warmth.

"Nope! No you don't! You stink! Go take a shower," I say, shoving his arms away from me. He looks like he's about to protest, but I just shake my head. He looks defeated, and seems to be at a lost.

"I'll sit with her," Seth pipes in, jumping over the back of the couch and landing next to me. He drapes an arm around my shoulders and I snuggle deeper into his warm. One of the major benefits of being surrounded by wolves, they are constantly warm.

Embry nods, whispering a small thanks to Seth before he disappears down the hall. He uses one of the two showers that Sam and Emily have in their house.

I've been spending the days at Emily and Sam's place. The pack is always here, so I just thought it would be easier. Now a days, wherever I am, the pack is there. Emily is used to handling feeding so many, so I just thought to make it easier and convert my days to here. Of course, I spend my nights at my own place. Either my dad or Sue is always there, taking care of me. Embry is within the same vicinity. He still refuses to sleep inside the house, saying that he wants to be respectful of my privacy and get my parent's wishes. He sleeps underneath my window. Sometimes, I fall asleep talking to him about random things, or about how I don't know how I'm going to beat the cancer.

He always responds in some way or another. Most of the time it's grunting or whining, occasionally he pokes his head through the window. One time, he tried to climb through the window when I was having a bad night, but my dad got there first. He was angry that Embry tried to come in, but was thankful that he cared. When my dad couldn't get me to calm down after I woke up, he let Embry come in, through the front door in his human form. That was the first night that Embry and I had spent together in our bed. Wait, my bed. Not our, mine.

"Have you eaten today?" Seth asks me.

"Yep," I say with a pop.

"Liar," Seth accuses, pointing to something in front of us.

"What?" I ask, hesitating to break eye contact. When I finally do, I follow his arm to see a full plate of food on the coffee table. "Oh," I sigh out.

"Oh, is right. You haven't eaten all day! You have to keep your strength. Sheesh, what is the matter with you? You know what, I'm going to go and make you a salad. With chicken. And I will force feed you if I have to," Leah scolds, walking into the kitchen. Everyone stays quiet before I break the silence.

"Someone should go stop her. She almost burned down the house last time she was in a kitchen. Emily, you go cook me something," I say, nudging her. Emily had just sat down next to me, so I felt bad, but I really don't trust Leah in a kitchen. Even Sue kicks her out when it's cooking time.

"Oh, I remember. I believe I was there that day," Emily laughs out. She goes to help her cousin in the kitchen, and Leah protests greatly.

Sam walks in the door with his construction bag in hand. He looks tired, and a frown mars his face. His shoulders sag under a great deal of stress that he must be under, and, well, he looks completely exhausted. Slowly, he closes the door behind him and puts his bag in the closet that's next to the front door. Taking his jacket off like a snail, he hisses out in pain. All of the wolves' eyes shift to Sam.

"You okay, man?" Seth asks, rubbing my arm to try and warm me up.

"Yup," Sam groans out, the sarcasm heavy in his voice.

"Okay," Seth answers awkwardly. No one knows what else to say when Sam doesn't elaborate. I'm about to get up when Leah plops onto the couch beside me, shoving the plate of salad into my hands; the chicken is still sizzling. I'm about to protest when my stomach growls loudly and the pack chuckles.

"Sam, honey, you okay?" Emily asks worriedly. She's drying her hands on a dish towel as she walks over to her husband. Tossing the towel on her shoulder, Emily puts her hands on Sam's face. "Sam?"

"I love you!" Sam yells out, picking Emily up. She screeches in surprise and then dissolves into a fit of giggles. Sam spins her around before setting her down and kissing her. I smile at them.

"Hey, beautiful," Embry whispers in my ear, laying his hands on my shoulders.

"Hi," I laugh out as Embry places a kiss on my forehead.


End file.
